Nerve Ansa cervicalis Latin Musculi infrahyoidei TA A04.2.04.001 | Actions Depress the hyoid bone Dorlands
/Elsevier m_22/12549354 FMA 71298 | |
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The infrahyoid muscles (strap muscles) are a group of four pairs of muscles in the anterior (frontal) part of the neck. The four infrahyoid muscles are; the sternohyoid, sternothyroid, thyrohyoid and omohyoid muscles.
Contents
The infrahyoid muscles either originate from or insert on to the hyoid bone.
The term infrahyoid refers to the region below the hyoid bone, while the term strap muscles refers to the long and flat muscle shapes which resembles a strap. The stylopharyngeus muscle is considered by many to be one of the strap muscles, but is not an infrahyoid muscle.
Individual muscles
The origin, insertion and innervation of the individual muscles:
Innervation
All of the infrahyoid muscles are innervated by the ansa cervicalis from the cervical plexus (C1-C3) except the thyrohyoid muscle, which is innervated by fibers only from the first cervical spinal nerve travelling with the hypoglossal nerve.
Action
The infrahyoid muscles function to depress the hyoid bone and larynx during swallowing and speech.